PITTSBURGH, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Members of the American Petroleum Institute welcomed a Pennsylvania decision to put more focus on the economic benefits of shale gas development.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett announced plans to implement a long list of recommendations from a committee overseeing the development of the Marcellus shale natural gas play in the state.
"This natural resource will fuel our generating plants, heat our homes and power our state's economic engine for generations to come," Corbett said in a statement. "We are going to do this safely and we're going to do it right because energy equals jobs."
The commission issued 96 recommendations to the state government. They detail everything from fees to offset the impact of natural gas development to enhanced environmental standards.
Joe Leighton, associate director of the Associated Petroleum Industries of Pennsylvania, said Corbett's ruling on Marcellus shale was the right thing for the state.
"The governor's plan makes Pennsylvania a competitive place for responsible development," he said.
Last month, a U.S. appeals court ruled the owners of mineral rights in a national forest in Pennsylvania don't have to wait for an environmental study before drilling
API is hosting a shale conference in the state.
